Loose-leaf binder construction



Sept. 26, 1950 W. SATZ LOOSELEAF BINDER CONSTRUCTION Filed March 27, 1947 INYENTOR Mllzam Sad;

. ATTORNEY 47-65 Patented Sept. 26, 1950 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to binders; more particularly to looseleaf binders.

My invention has for its object to provide in binders, such as looseleaf binders or ring binders, a novel construction of the cover members thereof whereby the cover members are supplemented to provide storage pockets for holding miscellaneous papers not to be attached to the ring binders or like fastening elements.

My invention concerns itself, in its more specific phases, with the class of binders wherein a pair of cover members hinged to a central panel maintain a reinforcing strip or stay holding ring binders in position, and in which the cover members have, at their periphery, a set of stringers including separable fasteners and a slider actuator, whereby the cover members combine with the separable fasteners to form a closed portfolio.

It has been the common practice to provide the inside of these cover members with supplementary sheeting sewn thereto in overlying position which defines pockets or pouches for the retention of papers which may not be affixed in the ring binders. The inclusion of these supplementary layers adds undue bulk and expense to the cover member, particularly since to adequate- 1y stiffen the cover it is made of a facing material of rather expensive character. The labor of assembly and location of these supplementary liners increases the cost, as well as forming an exposed edge which soon presents an untidy appearance and exposes the contents stored in the pockets to tearing operations in handling of the case.

Accordingly, it is an object of 'my invention toprovide a cover construction for binders, such as looseleaf' binders, brief cases, portfolios or the like, which permit a large variety of pockets to be formed and installed in the cover member, minimizing the expense of facing material and simplifying the labor of assembly.

Still further, it is an object of my invention to provide in a binder, such as looseleaf binders, brief cases, or portfolios having cover members, a cover construction carrying inside facing pockets in which the facing layers and cover layers cooperate to provide storage compartments for the retention of miscellaneous papers, in which bulking of layers is avoided.

Still more particularly, it is an object of my invention to provide a cover construction for looseleaf binders, portfolios, brief cases or the like in which the inside'facing is cut to provide reinforcement for the mouths of a plurality of storage compartments or pockets, without unduly increasing the expense of manufacture or sacrificing the compactness of these elements.

To attain these objects and such further objects as may appear herein, or be hereinafter pointed out, I make reference to th accompanying drawing forming'a part hereof, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of my device in the open position;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary magnified section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a stay therefor.

Making reference to the drawing, I illustrate my invention inconnection with a ring binder in comprising cover members H and 12, having a hinging portion [3, to which is riveted the stringers carry a series of separable fasteners 19 for actuation by the slide actuator 20.

joined at their borders.

tion and include a continuous'outside facing layer members.

The construction thus described is common to ring binders of this character.

In this form of construction, the cover members II and I2 comprise inside facing layers I follow this construe 2!, which is extended to include the cover members II and I2 and hinging panel covered by the ring binder plate I4, and an inside facing layer stiff material, such as leather, sheet plastic board,

of a thickness of about to t; inch or more. Before stitching these layers together by the stitch line I8, I take a part 23 of the layer 22 and provide it with a plurality of cutouts or slots 24, 25 and 26, running substantially the length of the cover to provide a plurality of rung-like Running from the edge 2'! of the first part 2 3 I overlap a liner material 28, which is afiixed by the rows of stitches 29. The liner material 28 etxends from the overlap at the edge '21 to a'point 39 adjacent the stay. The runglike members 3i and 32 and the edges 33 defining the slots 25 and 26 have likewiseattached to the rear face layers of liner material 34, 35

and 36,-eachaflixed at the edges by rows of tions 40, 4| and 42. In a like manner, the rows of stitches 29-29 previously described leave a hem portion 43.

The layers 34, 35 and 36 extend lengthwise beyond the edges of the slots 24, 25 and 26 and centrally of the binder adjacent the end 30, as previously described. Thereupon side rows of stitches 44 and 45, and the end row of stitches 46 are directed through the liner materials 28, 34, 35 and 36, to unite the same to the inner facing layer 23.

I may, just prior to the formation of the rows of stitches 44 and 45, include in the hem portions 40, 4!, 42 and 43, a stay strip 4'! which may be a strip of spring metal, or tape such as whalebone substitute.

The construction thus described provides pouches 48, 49 and 50, whose mouth portions are the slots 24, 25 and 26, and whose side walls are the layers of linear material 28, 34, 35 and 36, all bound between the outside facing layer l2 and the inside facing layer 23.

In employing the liner material 28, 34, 35, and 36, I utilize relativel thin fabric, such as an oil cloth, or a coated fabric customarily employed for lining pocket books and binders, which is soft and flexible, even though coated with a film of waterproofing material, adding very little bulk in the space between the layers I2 and 23. The flexibility of the liner material just described, coupled with the relative stiffness of the outside and inside facing layers [2 and 23, supplies fric tional contact to paper or like sheet materials which may be inserted in the pouches 48, 49 and 5 to prevent their ready displacement. To this extent, too, the stiffening strip 41 which reinforces the edges of the slots serve to maintain a stiffness to augment the frictional contact between the outside layer l2 and the inside layer 23. In normal use, little if an additional bulk is supplied to the cover members constituting the outsid layer I2 and the inside, layer 23, and pouch formation is secured without the protruding edges involved in merely overlaying one or more layers, to form the pocket as illustrated with regard to the pocket layer 5| on the cover member I l.

It will be thus observed that I have supplied a pocket or pouch construction for a, cover member, particularly useful in a looseleaf binder, having a slide fastener closure, and where these slots, as specifically illustrated, run longitudinally of the binder or in parallelism with the stay strip I4 forthe ring binder, the bulking action in use of the looseleaf binder and the closure of the slide fastener elements l9, tend to intensif the frictional engagement of the walls of the slot against the contents rather than to cause a gaping of these slots, as would be the case with a pocketv portion 5|, such as is commonly employed and illustrated on the cover member II.

It will be understoood that while I have illustrated the mouth of each of the pouch walls as reinforced with a stay strip, this element may be omitted and the rings otherwise stiffened and reinforced. The reinforcing material may be omitted entirely with due regard to the selection of the facing material which may be employed.

It will also be understood that the inside facing layer may be made as a separate unit, with or without an outside facing layer, to be applied as av panel to existing covers of fully assembled looseleaf binders, or as a package to be affixed to the ring binders, simpl by punching or perfo- All rating such panel and attaching the same to the ring binders.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a looseleaf binder or the like having hinged cover members joined to provide a central panel supporting a ring holding plate, at least one of said cover members being formed of spaced outside and inside facing layers joined at their borders and having the intermediate areas free, the inside facing layer having a plurality of parallel slots cut out therefrom, leaving at least one intermediate rung-like member having edges to each side thereof, a sheet of liner material attached to at least one of said edges of said runglike member forming a partitioning layer between said outside layer and inside layer, to define a plurality of liner separated pouches, the mouths of which pouches are defined by said slots.

2. In a looseleaf binder or the like having cover members hinged to a central panel, to which central panel a ring holding plate is affixed, at least one of which cover members is formed of spaced outside and inside facing layers joined b rows of stitches at their borders to each other and to stringers, the inside layer having a pluralit of slots cut out therefrom in substantial parallelism to the panel, leaving at least one intermediate rung-like member having edges to each side thereof, a sheet of liner material element joined to one of said edges of said rung-like member and to contiguous layers at its border defining a plurality of pouches partitioned by said liner material element to each side of said rung-like member.

3. In a looseleaf binder or the like having cover members hinged to a central panel, to which cen-. tral panel a ring holding plate is afllxed, at least one of which cover members is formed of spaced outside and inside facing layers joined by rows of stitches at their borders to each other and to stringers, the inside layer having a plurality of slots cutout therefrom in substantial parallelism to the panel, leaving at least one intermediate rung-like member, a sheet of liner material joinedto the rung-like member defining a plurality of pouches partitioned b said liner material, said liner being attached to said rung-like member by a pluralit of rows of stitches defining a pocket, and a stay in said pocket.

4. In a looseleaf binder or the like having hinged cover members. joined to a central panel, said panel providing a support for a ring holding plate, inside and outside facing layers, the inside layer having a plurality of slots cut out therefrom adjacent one side thereof, leaving at least one intermediate rung-lik member having edges to each side thereof contiguous to a slot, a sheet of liner material attached to at least one of said edges of said rung-like member and overlapping the said contiguous slot, rows of stitches joining said liner to said rung-like member, and passing edgewise thereof through said inside facing material, and a row of stitches at the border joining said inside and outside layers providing pouches between said inside and outside facing layers partitioned by said liner material.

5. A panel for a looseleaf binder or the like comprising an inside facing layer and a plurality of slots cut out from said layer in substantial parallelism, leaving at least one intermediate rung-like member having side edges which are each contiguous to one of said slots, a sheet of liner material joined to one of said edges of said rung-like member and having its other edges extended to the border of said facing layer and joined thereto along said border, defining with said layer and binder to which the panel is applied a plurality of pouches, each of which pouches is partitioned from another by a sheet of said liner material, said panel being capable of attachment as a unit to a looseleaf binder cover or the like.

WILLIAM SATZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file-of this patent:

5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,683,996 Snow Sept. 11, 1928 1,985,521 Schell Dec. 25, 1934 2,270,733 Kerr Jan. 20, 1942 10 2,303,248 Allen Nov. 24, 1942 

